The word “talent”, is often understood by most people to be limited to an artistic impression like drawing, painting or playing musical instruments etc. According to experts, talent is a natural ability in a person based on an area of strength. Also, in development of a talent, there is a large role of child’s personality as well as the type of opportunities available to him over a period of time.

The sooner a talent is recognized in a child, the more time would be there to encourage and nurture that talent which would help him throughout his life. It is here that the role of parents as a talent scout for their child becomes most important. Even though a talent might be identified by other people that a child interacts with, for example teachers in his school or playschool, it is the parents who are the closest to a child and have the benefit of giving their undivided attention and observation to a child, which might not be possible in a group environment, like a school.

As a parent it is your duty to expose your child to various interests and activities and then keenly observe your child’s interest, liking or an extraordinary performance in something, that is unusual of kids of his age. That might well be the hidden talent of your child.

Here are some tips on how to encourage various activities that might lead to discovery of the talent in your little one.

Whether it’s different sports, drama, music, art or science, find ways to expose your child to as many of them.

However, you need to ensure that the child should enjoy what you intend to do for him. Do not force him into anything.

a) Sports – Take him along to watch a cricket match, golf tourneys, football matches or tennis matches or any other sport activity. Then watch where his interest lies. If he asks for a cricket kit, get him a cricket kit and indulge in his interest yourself. If he liked tennis, get him a tennis racket. Join a sports complex in your area and go there regularly with your kid and see what your child likes to play. You can start with professional coaching once his interest is figured out.

** A great opportunity is knocking at the doorstep of all parents living in Delhi and NCR region in the form of 2010 Commonwealth games, to be held in Delhi from Oct 3rd to Oct 14th 2010, and it would be a great time to introduce your child to various sports**

b) Drama and Theater – Take your child along for plays, puppet shows etc.

c) Music - Take your child with you to various musical concerts and programs, whether it is classical music, ghazals, pop or rock. Observe your child at the concert and his feedback and behaviour after that, do you find him singing or trying to play a guitar or a tabla!

d) Art - Art exhibitions, workshops etc

e) Science - A visit to the National Science Museum or the Nehru planetarium can wake up the scientist in him, if he is interested.

This is just a small example of various things that you can do.

Once you have identified your child’s talent, you should not take a sit back and watch approach but rather do everything possible to encourage that talent.

Provide him with all the possible tools and support to enhance his talent, even providing him with professional coaching if needed. Talent gets developed over a period of time and it needs a lot of perseverance. A child might be talented in one thing but might not like doing it, in this case help them enjoy that topic and talent will develop gradually at the right time. Do not make it a subject of study for them, but something they should enjoy and do voluntarily.

You can also take the help of your child’s school and the teachers to identify or later on develop the talent in your child.

Tip – Do attend the Parent Teacher Meetings in your child’s school and don’t hesitate to contact the teachers if needed before that.

Once the talent has been identified, make yourself fall in love with that subject and become aware of that yourself.

“If only had my parents taken note of my interest in a specific sport and provided me with guidance and training at the right time, I would have been a sportsperson now instead of watching that game just on TV.”, How many of us have thoughts like this every now and then ??

Well, I do for sure!!

However, in our times the environment was not so full of opportunities and our parents never read such articles, but now there is nothing stopping us from encouraging the talents of our children.

A child, is after all a child and does not understand the definition of talent or identify the importance or use of his talent in this competitive world. As parents, it’s our duty to not let a talent in a child fade away.

Not every child can be a born genius, but with regular sharpening and development of his talent, he can surely become a genius in his field when he grows up!!

Author – Rajan Arora – ( Founder of SchoolAdmissions.in)

© Copyright 2011-2012 – SchoolAdmissions.in

When I started to write on this topic of “Parent Teacher Relationship”, I was in two minds. Should I write based on the research on this topic by various experts or draw from our experiences as parents of a 7 year old school going son and our interactions with his teachers over the schooling years till now!

Finally, I decided to make it a combination of both with more focus on our own experiences.

Education is not just the responsibility of your child’s teachers anymore.

It is a 50-50 partnership between we the parents and the teachers. And it is very important that both work together for the benefit of the child.

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you form an excellent parent teacher relationship:

1. Always meet your child’s would be teachers before the start of the new session. This implies for every new session as there might be new teachers every time.

2. If your child is getting promoted to a higher class or a new school, let his new teachers know his/her strengths and weaknesses as well as your concerns. This would help the teachers understand and plan for his education at school for best results. Share any old notes or interactions that you had with his previous teachers with the new teachers.

3. Let the teacher know that she can contact you anytime for any problem she faces or issue she sees in your child. Make them believe that you respect and value what they are doing for your child.

Also, this helps form a relationship with the teacher that allows you to approach them anytime you feel the need.

4. Many schools conduct activities which allows parents to participate. These can include workshops, open houses, cultural or sport events and community initiatives. Use these opportunities to network and bond with the teachers and other employees of the school.

5. Extra curricular activities and sports are also a big part of a child’s education and one should also meet teachers involved in this as well as the sports in-charge too. This is sure to elevate the chances of your child being picked up for various cultural and sports activities as well as get special attention from the coaches.

6. Never miss a scheduled Parent Teacher Meeting as that is your best chance to speak to the teachers and keep a regular check on your child’s performance in the school. I would suggest that both parents should attend but if its not possible then at least one of the parent should be there.

7. Take notes before going to the PTM ( Parent Teacher Meeting ) about what issues you would like to discuss with the different teachers. From our personal experience, I can tell you that my wife does this regularly now after some initial PTM’s that we attended in Aaryan’s school where we always used to forget a couple of questions that we had in our mind before leaving for the PTM.

8. Take notes during the PTM also about what issues the teacher raised and what was mutually decided as the solution. This would help you work on these issues at home with your child and later on you can use them as a reference point in your next meeting with the teacher to check out if she is able to see a positive change in the child.

9. It would not be possible for you or the teacher to interact on one to one basis regularly. Remember, the teacher has to divide her time and attention equally amongst all the kids in her class or subject.

Solution here would be to use other communication modes like the School Diary, which is still the most used mode by teachers to convey their thoughts and communicate with the parents.

So, do check your child’s school diary on a regular basis and reply to any notes given by the teachers. You can also use the diary to communicate your concerns etc to the teachers.

10. With the advent of technology, many schools have implemented other communication mediums like emails, forums and online messaging systems. If your child’s school offers any such facilities then make sure you use them to the optimum.

11. Remember, never do your child’s homework or projects yourself.

You can be a guide but not more than that. In most schools homework is used to reinforce concepts as well as to understand and evaluate how much the child has learnt. This helps the teachers plan for your child. Teacher want the parents to ensure that homework is completed regularly and review it thereafter to keep track of what your child is learning or having problems in.

If you find that you have to help a lot for the child to complete some homework, then be honest and put up a note for the teacher saying “ Done with parents help”. Make your child understand that you are doing this for his good and to let the teacher know that they need to work on the particular concept with the child.

But if you find too much homework being given and child overloaded with that only all through the day with no time to play etc, then let this be known to the teachers and the school staff. Believe me, it works ( From personal experience ) and any good school would take a second look at its homework policy and make positive changes.

Remember, a school is not just made by the teachers but also by the parents nowadays.

Both Puja and myself, ever since we co-founded SchoolAdmissions.in have been very big advocates of “ Parent Friendly Schools” and our experiences are based on our interactions at our son’s school, which luckily for falls under the norm of “Parent Friendly Schools”.

Most of the suggestions given above would only work in a school, where the teachers are friendly and open to participation by parents.

But what if my child’s teacher is not friendly and non co-operative ?

If you find that your child’s teacher is not co-operating in spite of your best efforts and that is leading unsolved problems in your child’s development, then it is time to approach the school’s Principal and the management.

If even that does not work out and you find that even their attitude is not friendly or understanding, then most probably you have put your child in a wrong school and you should correct that mistake as soon as possible.

Examples of benefits and positive effects of parent teacher communication.

I remember being told by a representative of a top convent school in Delhi, that they stopped the sale of junk food, sauces and soft drinks in the school after a parent talked it over with them. They saw his point and now this much sought after boys school in Delhi has no junk food available in its canteen.

Our examples - Our son Aaryan was reportedly being very introvert in between and his mother Puja then talked to the teachers about it. We got to know that he interacted only in his comfort zone of a couple of friends in the school. We requested the teacher to alter his seating arrangement on a regular basis so that he gets to sit with different set of kids. This paid of and he got more friends and came out of his comfort zone and is less introvert now and interacts freely with other kids too.

Remember, a healthy and positive communication and relationship between parents and teachers would play a big part in how your child feels about the school and how successful he can be.

Diane Levin, Ph.D., professor of education at Wheelock College says “”It demonstrates to your child that he can trust his teacher, because you do. This positive relationship makes a child feel like the important people in his life are working together.”

That is very true as your child’s teachers would be the most important people in his life after his family and when all of you work together for his benefit and his good, he is bound to have the best education and growth.

All the best for your child’s future and his education.
Author – Rajan Arora – ( Founder of SchoolAdmissions.in)

© Copyright 2011-2012 – SchoolAdmissions.in

Shibani Kashyap at Aviva Great Wall of Education. She donated her favorite book to the cause and even sang us a song! Thank You for your love and support!

Anuja, a well known author was present at the Aviva Great Wall Of Education to donate her books & give her hand in bringing under-privileged children closer to education. Are you donating your books too?

The Aviva Great of Education has started at the DLF Place in Saket, New Delhi.
The First Donor of this event is Mr. Y.C Gera!
The Chief Guest of this event is Mr. Salman Kurshid. All Delhites should come and visit this grand event!
Aviva Great Wall of Education is more than just books, there are other activities like Nukad Natak and Story Telling as well!